CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A traveler had more than a jacket on when arriving recently at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at CLT stopped a man attempting to smuggle over six pounds of cocaine into the United States.
On July 17, a CBP officer referred Xavier E. Ramirez, 23, of Brandon, Florida to further examination after Ramirez arrived on a flight from the Dominican Republic. There, CBP officers observed a bulge under Ramirez’s shirt after he removed his jacket. The bulge consisted of a white, powdery substance that field-tested positive for cocaine. The cocaine weighed over six pounds and had an estimated street value of about $215,000.00
“Any day that Customs and Border Protection officers can keep dangerous drugs from reaching our communities is a great day,” said Barry Chastain, CBP Area Port Director in Charlotte. “Narcotics interdiction remains an enforcement priority for CBP and it is one way in which CBP helps protect our citizens and our communities.”
Charlotte CBP officers turned Ramirez over to Homeland Security Investigations and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department for state prosecution on felony possession and trafficking of cocaine.
Criminal charges are merely allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
CBP seized an average of 3,677 pounds of dangerous drugs every day across the United States last year. Learn more about what CBP accomplished during “A Typical Day” in 2020.
CBP’s border security mission is led at ports of entry by CBP officers from the Office of Field Operations. CBP officers screen international travelers and cargo and search for illicit narcotics, unreported currency, weapons, counterfeit consumer goods, prohibited agriculture, and other illicit products that could potentially harm the American public, U.S. businesses, and our nation’s safety and economic vitality.
Follow the Director of CBP’s Atlanta’s Field Office on Twitter at @DFOAtlanta and on Instagram at @dfoatlanta for current events, human-interest stories and photos.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is the unified border agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the management, control and protection of our nation’s borders at and between official ports of entry. CBP is charged with securing the borders of the United States while enforcing hundreds of laws and facilitating lawful trade and travel.